Thursday, 20 August 2015

Hello hello... sorry for being away so long. Just too many things on the family front now :-( can't focus but maybe I should seek solace here? For instant posts on what I cook, eat and drink, do check me up on Instagram on the handle babe_kl.

Anyway, just a quickie... in case you do not know, you can head on to Midvalley Megamall, Ground Floor Centre Court now to check out MasterChef Asia's kitchen. They will be on display till this Sunday 23 Aug 2015! If you wish to fulfill your Masterchef dreams, head on there like now! Don't forget to bring your camera and a photographer along hehe.

On top of this, on Saturday, 22 Aug 2015 from 12 noon onwards... there will be a meet and greet session with the 3 judges, Susur Lee, Bruno Ménard and Audra Morrice; as well as the three Malaysian contestants Jasbir Kaur, Marcus Low and Sophia Zulkifli. I heard Jasbir, Marcus and Sophia will battle it out in front of live audience on my favourite Mystery Box Challenge! So do head on there this Saturday to watch this battle ermm right above on the "balcony"?

The 3 judges for this Asia instalment are award-winning restaurateur and fusion specialist, Susur Lee; 3-Michelin-starred chef and culinary consultant Chef Bruno Ménard; and Audra Morrice, finalist in MasterChef Australia, caterer and cookbook author. How nice if I could meet all three but alas I am not free this Saturday to meet and chat them up :-( however, you can!

I can't wait for the series to begin so that I can root and support my fellow Malaysian contestants! I know one of them could win since *ahem* we Malaysians eat, talk and sleep food!!! Just check out their background... Jasbir, the most senior participant in the season who can whip up Punjabi specialities with ease; Marcus, a banker with an interest in molecular cuisine and unique food pairings; and Sophia, a mother with a passion for food and cooking. So who will win?

The series premieres on 3 September, Thursdays at 9pm on Lifetime (Astro Ch 709). For more information, please visit the official website at msn.com/masterchefasia. Also don't forget to Like MasterChefAsia on Facebook!

MasterChef Asia Season 1 is presented by the Singapore Tourism Board and Knorr, in association with Panasonic, Changi Airport Group, Carlton Hotel Singapore and Air Asia.

Tuesday, 24 February 2015

If you are not aware, MasterChef Asia is in search for amateur cooks in Asia to audition for the first ever MasterChef Asia! The show will be shown over Lifetime channel (Astro Ch 709).

So if you have what it takes to be a MasterChef, do submit your audition video as soon as possible before it ends on 5 March. Check out www.facebook.com/MasterChefAsia for more information or watch the video below.

I would love to sign up but I can't under one of the rules and restrictions :-( So please please give it a go and I am rooting for one of my friend who has submitted his entry *fingers crossed* If you have submitted an entry, do leave in the comments so that I can cheer for you too ;-)

MasterChef Asia is presented by the Singapore Tourism Board and Knorr, in association with Panasonic and Changi Airport Group. Lifetime (Astro Ch 709) is the exclusive Pay TV home in Asia for MasterChef versions from Australia, New Zealand and Canada.

MasterChef is represented internationally by Endemol Shine Group. The show was originally revived as MasterChef Goes Large in 2005 by Shine TV in the UK and is based on a format originally created by Franc Roddam.

Wednesday, 18 February 2015

Tonight, all Chinese will gather for a reunion dinner and it will not be short of rice. Rice is something that hold abundance in food hence every household will ensure that their rice bin will be filled to the brim to usher in the new year. It also signify the whole year will be filled with food too!

At work, I have the opportunity to worked with a few Tefal rice cooker models and I really have to vouch that the rice turned out fluffy and perfect. Well that too if you stick to the tips and tricks. Tefal have some here together with some interesting information.

Those who are travelling back to celebrate the new year with a reunion dinner tonight, have a safe trip home ;-)

Wednesday, 14 January 2015

Sorry to disappoint... been slacking yet again. Yeah right. I ought to be shot for promising something that I could not deliver. However, this post is something close to our hearts. It's our love affair with SCS Butter, particularly Capn't Hook. There's always this withdrawal syndrome in him when he see his slab of salted SCS butter has grown smaller in size. Hence, I always have a block or two in the freezer on stand by. He loves it with kaya... almost an everyday affair for him spreading kaya and SCS butter on the bread that I made these days.

There are many ignorant consumer, really, even these days. Just when I thought our consumer these days are well read or informed. How I found out is based on the participants who came for classes... we tend to get questions like what brand of butter and where do we get them etc. We are surprised that many have thought butter-like-blocks labelled as "butter blend" are 100% butter. When we informed them that they're blended with vegetable oil, their reply would generally be "Ohhh no wonder they're so much cheaper!!!".

And so here I am, informing you that anything that is labelled as butter blend IS NOT 100% butter. If you're making cookies especially, I doubt you could get that special butter aroma and texture for cookies made with real butter. Also, please... try not to use margarine. I have to agree to this lady who always tell me "If you plan to eat something laden with calories, make it a good one" hehe... so butter it is!

Christmas and New Year have gone by and by now, when you walk into any malls or shops, you'll be greeted by a sea of red. It's time to usher in the Lunar New Year. As Chinese is always particular with good wishes and prosperity, pineapple tarts tend to be a must in almost every household as pineapple is known as "ong lai" in Hokkien language which means prosperity come literally.

I still remember my aunty showing my mother how to make pineapple tart once when I was really young. Maybe being wai sek (gluttony), even after so many years, I still remember the measurement for the pastry. It's just merely one pound of flour and one pound of SCS butter, no less.

In the recent years, pineapple tarts have revolved into many patterns but what is interesting this time round is SCS Butter have came up with 8 varieties of them, not only in terms of looks but flavours as well. They are Pineapple Cream Cheese, Pecan Pineapple, Berrylicious Pineapple, Chocolate Brownie Pineapple, Caramel Pineapple, Creamy Mango and Pineapple White Chocolate, Oatmeal Pineapple, and Green Tea Pineapple.

SCS Butter is giving away the booklet containing these recipes at selected supermarkets this month onwards. There will also be an online-driven pineapple tart contest. Just watch out for the announcements on their Facebook page. To make things easier since describing in words can be quite challenging, there are videos on how to make these tarts on SCS Butter YouTube Channel.

SCS Butter is kind enough to share these recipes so here they are. Just click on the respective picture and download them via flickr.

For the full booklet, check out the album here. Thank you SCS Butter Malaysia to make this happen.